Gotz Native American Starshine Dolls; Preserving an American Heritage
Perhaps you've heard of, or have had the pleasure of seeing a stunning Gotz doll called a "Starshine Doll" and you'd like to learn more about them. Well look no further! We will cover all there is to know about Starshine Dolls here, in this article (also: each doll will be indexed soon!). But first, let's determine what is, and what isn't, a "Starshine Doll." What Exactly Is a Native American "Starshine Doll" Native American "Starshine Dolls" are a line of very limited edition Gotz Play Dolls that are beautifully designed and exquisitely handcrafted by Doll Artisan, Robin Holland. Each Starshine Doll authentically reflects a specific Native American tribe in its physical appearance; every detail from a doll's hair to its face paint (if any) to its outfit, jewelry and accessories, all accurately reflect its historical, cultural, and traditional tribal-specific appearance. As with all Artist Dolls, only the highest-quality fabrics and materials were used to create each one of these mini-masterpieces and all dolls come with an authentic Certificate of Authenticity, signed by Robin Holland. What Isn't a "Starshine Doll"? As discussed in the article, Different Gotz Doll Facial Molds and Neckstamps, Gotz frequently reuses its more popular doll facial molds over time; some facial molds will have minor variations between them. As Starshine Dolls (simply called "Starshines") were named after Robin Holland's Company, "Starshine Dolls," only Robin Holland's "Starshine Dolls" are actually Starshine Dolls. Sound confusing? At first glance yes, but it isn't really. Let's break it down: *'WHAT ''IS A STARSHINE DOLL:' 'Only the Native American dolls created by (or for) Robin Holland's doll line, '''which are named after her Company, ''Starshine Dolls,'' are actually "Starshine Dolls." See photo top right. *'WHAT ''ISN'T A STARSHINE DOLL:' ''All non-Native American Gotz dolls that share the same facial as the doll on the top right are not "Starshine Dolls." See photo bottom right. So if the doll on the left bottom isn't a Starshine, then what is she? Dolls that Share a Starshine Facial Mold Contrary to a misconception, the doll on the right is not a Starshine, nor is it's facial mold nicknamed "Starshine." Unfortunately, as a result of this misconception, Gotz Doll Collectors have begun to refer to all Gotz dolls that share this facial mold as "Starshines," however, as discussed, only the Native American dolls are actually "Starshine" dolls, as they were named after Robin Holland's Company, Starshine Doll''s'. Regardless, this facial mold has quickly become a Gotz Doll Collector's favorite. It was used repeatedly by Gotz throughout the 1980s; it was used on Play Dolls produced during the same time Robin's dolls were in production, and a variation of it is even used today under the popular Gotz ''Pottery Barn Play Dolls. So, while these dolls share the Native American Starshine's most popular and widely used Gotz doll facial mold, they are not Starshines. As the actual identification of this Gotz doll's facial mold is as of yet unknown, for cataloguing purposes, Gotz Doll Wiki has decided to index these dolls as "Dolls that Share a Starshine Facial Mold." In doing so, we can stay consistent with Gotz Doll Collectors and stay true to Robin Holland's Company, Starshine Dolls. If you would like to see a list of confirmed, currently-indexed Gotz Dolls that Share a Starshine Facial Mold, please click here. Okay back to actual Starshines! '''''A Little About the Doll Artist, Robin Holland According to Clarice E. Cady, in her 1993 article for The Collector's Magazine, "Clothes That Make the Doll," Robin Holland used to work in a Doll Shop in Fort Collins, Colorado. In addition, she also worked part-time as a seminary teacher on the side. Having also lived previously in New Mexico and grown up there with Native American friends, Robin began to see a real need to create an authentic line of Native American dolls that were higher in quality than "souvenir dolls," yet less expensive than higher-priced dolls (p. 112-113). Per Nancy Kokesch, the previous store owner of Country Loft in New Ulm, Minnesota, (which was the largest U.S. store retailer for Gotz for many years), who also happened to have fourteen (14) Special Starshine ''Store'' Exclusives and got to know Robin over the years, Robin had a desire to produce one Native American Starshine limited edition doll for every Native American tribe - no small feat to be sure! Thus, with her goal in mind, Robin set out to turn her dream into a reality, creating her first two dolls, "Morningstar" '''and "Prairie Flower." ' 'Doll Production' According to Cady (1993), Robin began production of her Gotz Native American Starshine doll line in 1989 (''not 1991 as thought); her line was instantly successful and Robin took in orders for over 200 dolls in only one month, from November to December 1989 (p. 112-113). Despite the instant success she had in 1989 with her first doll, Morningstar, it would take Robin some time to put all of the logistical pieces of her business into place. One interesting note per Nancy Kokesch is that Robin took orders only for her dolls upfront; as she did not charge for her dolls until she completed them, this required her to cover all of the charges necessary to create her doll line upfront. Per Cady (1993), determined, Robin took out a small loan and secured a doll supplier, Gotz, to exclusively supply the doll body parts to compose the bulk of the dolls for her doll line. According to Nancy Kokesch, Robin would purchase leftover Gotz Play Doll doll bodies (heads and torsos; articulated and non-articulated, minus wigs) in "lots;" Robin would then design, create (and recreate) each doll's physical appearances, from their doll outfits to their facial paint, hair cut/style, etc. Of course this also meant that Robin would have had to cover all of the fabrics and materials upfront as well. But it doesn't stop there: Robin had to also employ expert craftsman, such as Lee Leather's Diane Soderburg (who worked all the leather) and per Cady (1993), John and Eulinda Johns, a Navajo couple, who created each piece of jewelry for each one of her dolls. The fact that Robin, not Gotz, is the one who created all of her doll's outfits is slightly unique: ''in this case, ''Gotz acted only as the doll supplier when historically it would typically manufacture not only the doll but also the doll's outfit, as it did with doll line '''American Girl.' 'Cooperation With Other Doll Manufacturers' Equally surprising, Gotz is not the only doll supplier Robin worked with: Robin also partnered with doll manufacturer '''FURGA' to specially create two exclusive "Starshine" vinyl baby dolls, each with hand-painted eyes (similar to Sylvia Natterer's dolls) commonly referred to as "Furga Twins." In addition (despite not having many details about this arrangement), Robin's line also featured several porcelain Native American "Cradle Board" babies, each cradle board baby differs both in its expression and in the color and style of the baby doll's blanket. According to user "Maniquin" from Collector's Weekly Online (comment section), ''these porcelain cradle babies all have facial molds manufactured for 'Scioto Dolls' by 'Starlite Mold Company (see References). 'It is not known as this time who painted the actual doll; but Robin most likely made each doll's outfit and their different blankets and employed an expert craftsman to manufacture the cradle board. In addition to the above, Robin's Starshine line also included unique limited edition doll stands produced by "Allison Dolly Prop." Each stand was assigned a unique code and multiple stands were offered. The photo below, supplied by Ebay Seller: kham, shows what one of these original LE doll stands looks like in person. While some dolls originally came with accessories, according to Nancy Kokesch, additional accessories such as beaded fans, shawls and purses could also be purchased for an additional cost. 'Physical Appearances' Per Cady (1993), Robin extensively researched each Native American tribe to ensure her doll's physical appearances ''accurately and authentically reflect the tribe they represent (p. 113). According to Robin herself, no expense was spared to create a doll's appearance; only the finest fabrics (such as silk and leather) and a variety of materials (such as beads made from glass specially imported from Czechoslovakia) were used. In some cases, and if possible, materials from the actual tribe the doll itself was from, were used. Hair and Face Paint As dolls were purchased without their original wigs, Robin gave each doll a modacrylic black doll wig appropriately cut and styled with culturally-correct headbands, feathers, beads, hairpieces, etc. There are even a few dolls, such as Laughing Sun and Rattling Leaf that also have facial paint! Doll Eyes Doll eyes will either be solid black pinwheel-style eyes or brown decal-style eyes, depending on the doll (in some cases, the same doll will have either). Just as with traditional Gotz Play Dolls, Starshines with pinwheel eye designs are susceptible to eye defects, such as SILVER EYE and BUBBLE EYE. Doll Bodies According to the Certificate of Authenticity, the first two Starshine Dolls (Morningstar and Prarie Flower) had white, non-articulated doll bodies (Weichstehpuppe) while the remaining Starshines have a white, multi-articulated doll bodies (Weichgelenkpuppe aka AG-style doll bodies). However, in her experience, M. Leach has found that dolls (even between two of the exact same dolls) have a mixture of both articulated and non-articulated doll bodies. This makes sense as Robin purchased her dolls over time from Gotz in large lots. In other words, Robin would have received whatever leftover white doll bodies Gotz could supply her with at the time, which is why dolls have a mixture of both. Each Starshine doll body, regardless of its articulation type will be a white-bodied, soft, padded cloth torso doll with a neckstamp marking that reads: Gotz-Puppe. An Interesting Coincidence or Fact? * Fact: Gotz manufactured all of the American Girl ''dolls for '''Pleasant Company', from its start in 1986 until Mattel purchased American Girl and took over all of its production in 1998. * Fact: Prior to 1990, all American Girl doll bodies were made from "white" muslin cloth. That is, until American Girl, ''with the release of Felicity in 1991, decided to change from a white doll body to a tan doll body (to account for her "skin" showing above her low-neckline dresses), which would have begun in 1990 at the latest. * '''Fact': Some of the Gotz Starshines have a white, articulated doll body. * Coincidence or Fact? Some of the Gotz Starshines have a white, articulated doll body that looks exactly like the American Girl doll body. For this reason, I pose an interesting theory: is it at all possible that the white doll bodies Gotz supplied Robin with for her doll line were actually the leftover, remaining stock of white-bodied American Girl doll bodies it no longer needed (due to the white-to-tan doll body transition)? I can neither confirm nor deny the accuracy of this theory but it sure does seem like a coincidence! Starshine Facial Molds The following sections describe the Gotz and non-Gotz Starshine facial molds used. Different GOTZ Doll Facial Molds''' '' The Starshine dolls with Gotz doll facial molds will have one of three different facial molds: # STARSHINE: The most frequently-used Gotz doll facial mold in Robin's Collection (right), is commonly nicknamed by Gotz Doll Collectors as a "Starshine" facial mold (although other dolls with different Gotz doll facial molds comprise the Starshine Collection). 2. ASIAN: The second Gotz doll facial mold used in Robin's Collection (left) is the same that firt appeared in 1989 on LEE; it is known as the "Asian" Gotz doll facial mold. Perhaps you recognize it: it not only appeared on Gotz Play Dolls used throughout the nineties, but Precious Day Kimberly also has a variation of this facial mold. 3. BRITTANY: The third Gotz doll facial mold used in Robin's Collection (right) first appeared on 1989 Brittany. Although not quite as popular as the Asian facial mold used by RATTLING LEAF and others above, it continued to be used into the nineties. '''''NON-GOTZ Starshine Doll Facial Molds # FURGA BABY: The Italian doll manufacturer FURGA also created and produced two baby dolls, both with the same facial mold, especially for Robin's Starshine Collection, nicknamed "Furga Babies." These dolls are incredibly rare, in part because no information is available anywhere about them and they currently remain unindexed. 2. There are also several porcelain baby dolls, with a common facial mold (yet in different "states" i.e. sleeping, crying, etc) called "CradleBoard Babies" in Robin's Starshine Collection: they were manufactured by Starlite Mold Company for Scioto Dolls (see Reference 5). Each baby has a different style and color of doll "blanket" and some share, have the same/different names. Limited Edition Dolls Robin created a variety of dolls; some from the same and/or different Native American tribe; some with different intended total limited edition numbers. Most dolls were limited in production to a total of 250 dolls total produced. However, some dolls such as Whispering Brook (right), were produced exclusively for the store Country Loft in New Ulm, Minnesota, and had an extremely limited edition production number of just 20 dolls total (!), making these dolls extremely rare. All Starshines originally came with a Doll ID Tag with a doll's given Native American name; Doll ID Tag colors vary both in color and style over the years. In addition, some Doll ID Tags may/may not also act as the doll's Certificate of Authenticity (if both are signed and numbered). Typically, a brochure-style Doll ID Tag will also include historical, tribal-specific background information, along with a note from Robin Holland. Sadly (see section "The End of a Dream"), Robin was unable to complete the intended total limited edition production numbers as she had planned. As a result, her dolls are even more limited in their total production quantity than they may actually be (for example, there may be only an actual 50 dolls produced out of an intended 250, making them more rarer than their total number of limitd edition quantity's produced says). Different Types of Doll Artist Signatures '' '' There are a variety of ways a Starshine doll may be "signed." Some dolls are physically signed on their front torso; their side torso; their back torso; or even the sole of their shoe. The majority of dolls with these body signature locations are also signed by Robin Holland and are numbered; a few dolls may be signed by Diane Soderburg, ''(who worked all of the leather for Robin). Unfortunately, for a variety of reasons such as age and standing in a doll stand, dolls with a shoe-style signatures may now have their signatures faded; be illegible; or have nearly if not absent signatures. Another way dolls are "signed" is by a stamp identifying them as a Starshine Doll. According to Nancy Kokesch, ''dolls with this Starshine stamp are mostly likely the earliest dolls produced. You will also see a variety of different writing styles, along with what information is included in each signature; Nancy Kokesch states that Robin would oftentimes sign dolls at special store events and there was no "set" way (i.e. form; sharpie color, etc) that a doll would be signed. Different Starshine Doll Boxes According to Nancy Kokesch, doll boxes have also varied over the years. Originally, the first doll boxes were solid black and had a white "STARSHINE DOLLS" logo; however, these black doll boxes were costly to produce; proved too "flimsy", and were costly to pack and ship. In an effort to reduce this cost, Robin changed the box design and style: a smaller, multi-colored speckled orange doll box style with a STARSHINE DOLL logo label was used; then a simple, speckled brown box with a simple white STARSHINE DOLL logo labe was used, and finally, a double-front flap cream box with a label that reads STARSHINE DOLL was also used. The End of a Dream In my discussions about these dolls directly with Nancy Kokesch, I was shocked to learn why Robin stopped making her beautiful, exquisite, ''extremely well-made, handcrafted ''dolls: COST. In an ironic twist, in her efforts to provide an affordable, culturally-appropriate alternative to more higher-priced Native American dolls, Robin struggled to financially afford to continue her doll line. As discussed earlier, the dolls were expensive to produce: * Gotz doll bodies had to be purchased before a doll was ever made, and in large lots; * High-quality fabrics and materials (sometimes imported from foreign countries) also had to be pre-purchased * Expert craftsman were needed to work and fashion the materials to create, and recreate Robin's amazing designs. * Even boxing, shipping and packing materials were needed. ALL BEFORE A SINGLE DOLL WAS SOLD! * Add to this the fact that per Cady (1993), in order to meet the initial supply of her sales success (between November 7 and December 18, 1989 Robin took a whopping 200 orders for her dolls!), Robin had to quit both her jobs just to have the time to be able to turn her dream into reality. Although each doll's initial sales price may seem high to some, Robin's dolls were extremely well-priced for the quality of craftsmanship that went into each. All of the mentioned above placed a huge financial burden on Robin, so much so that Robin could not continue her doll line production post 1993. The Demand for Starshine Dolls Today On the secondary market, a new breed of Gotz Doll Collectors is on the rise (crossing over from American Girl dolls), and Robin Holland's dolls are quickly increasing in not only their popularity but also in their demand, making them one of the most collectible Gotz dolls on the secondary market. As these dolls are identified and indexed, you will, no doubt, continue to find their secondary value rise. A Personal Note to Robin Holland I personally hope one day that Robin would know how much Gotz Doll Collectors have come to admire, cherish, and appreciate the love and exceptional beauty of her dolls. Their quality is incredible and evident; each exquisite detail that went into each doll's physical appearance radiates perfection. For those of us who have come to own one of these dolls personally, we cherish the opening of the box, and we take our time reading how and more importantly why, you created these dolls. You may not have achieved your intended goal of total dolls produced; or created a doll to represent every Native American tribe, but many will come to know a lot more of Native American history because of the story you told through your dolls! Big Thank You's and References: This article has been a long time in the making and a goal of mine to write here at the Wiki. So I would like to especially thank Nancy Kokesch, who not only took the time to answer every question but also supplied many of the background photos, brochures/fliers, information, etc. especially for Gotz Doll Wiki. In addition, I would also like to thank M. Leach, who has the largest, nearly complete collection of Native American Starshines to date. Thank you for sharing your amazing collection with me and providing insight, photos, etc. for each Starshine! In addition, thank you to D. Orsino for helping me to learn more about the Cradlebabies. Finally, a big thank you to Ebay Seller: KHAM who not only put me in touch with Nancy but also sent professional photos of many of the Starshines she recently sold, specifically for the wiki! References: Cady, Clarice E. “Clothes That Make the Doll.” The Collector's Magazine, 1993, pp. 112–113. Manikin. “Collectorsweekly.” Best of Antiques, Vintage, Collecting | Collectors Weekly, www.collectorsweekly.com/. Article Written by Gotz Doll Junkie Category:Doll Category:Doll Index Category:Gotz Native American STARSHINE DOLLS Category:Dolls that Share a Starshine Facial Mold Category:Native American Nationality Category:Artist Dolls Category:Limited Edition Dolls Category:18" Dolls Category:General Information Category:Article Category:Article Stub Category:Requires Fill-In Category:Photo Needed